Bandera County Veterans Service Officer Mike Lauricella presented his department’s 2024 report at the Feb. 27 Commissioners Court meeting, highlighting significant progress in securing benefits for local veterans.
Since taking on the full-time role in October 2023, Lauricella has helped bring in $2.1 million in benefits for veterans in Bandera County, assisted multiple homeless veterans in securing housing, and mentored high school students preparing for college.
He also announced plans for a veterans’ benefit event and proposed the installation of a veterans monument in the county.
While emphasizing the successes, Lauricella noted the sobering reality that 94 local veterans have passed away since he started.
Asking the court whether they wanted the good news or bad news first, County Judge Richard Evans opted for the good.
Lauricella began by outlining his activities and completed trainings, stating, “I got them off the streets. I teamed up with the county appraisal office to ensure the veterans have correct documents for their property taxes. It’s kind of a lot of paperwork, and they don’t know what to do.” He then presented the financial impact of his office’s work, explaining, “I started in October of ’23, so claims were starting to be presented around November, December. I didn’t have my accreditation yet and was working with the Kerrville VSO, but from January to December of ’24, I
“A LOT OF THIS IS VETERANS
COMING IN WITH DENIED CLAIMS, & FOR SOME REASON, THE VA OVERLOOKS THINGS.”
- Bandera County Veterans Service Officer Mike Lauricella could break down the numbers for you, but the overall is $2.1 million for the year. That’s the money that was brought in to all the veterans here in Bandera County. As you can see, the previous month pretty much doubled since a full-time position has been put in place.”
Evans responded, “So you got $259,000 retroactive?”
Lauricella confirmed, “Yes sir. A lot of this is veterans coming in with denied claims, and for some reason, the VA overlooks things. They do a queue, or they don’t get the medical records they need, so we just have to go back in there and poke them in the butt a little bit and tell them the real story. Here in Bandera County, there are a lot of Vietnam vets that never knew they could have this. Helping them with medical alone is big because our medical care for elderly people in this county is really bad. It’s not our fault, but for the veterans, they get a little extra help. And that’s what I try to instill and bring in here.”
Lauricella credited American Legion Commander Susan Junker for advocating on behalf of veterans and shared plans to host a benefit event in Bandera.
“It’s usually about 60 to 70 vendors that come from the VA. These are all for medical, benefits, and insurance, all for the veterans, and it’s a pretty good deal. Kerrville did it last year, and I kind of teamed up with them. So I’d like to bring one closer to us so we don’t have to travel so far. It’s going to take a lot of moving parts.”
He emphasized the ongoing workload of his office, stating, “This is just 66 plus spouses’ claims. I probably got about 75 more in process right now. So every five, six, seven months, a claim will get processed, so it’s ongoing. This is a pretty busy job, but it’s a fun job, it’s a good job, and the veterans deserve this—every penny they get.”
Lauricella also expressed a desire to bring a veterans monument to Bandera County, noting, “I would hope that I could get some support on that because most counties have one. And it’s pride. Veterans come to this county all the time, and they like it. They know there’s a lot of veterans here. They meet up.”
Beyond office work, Lauricella said he actively engages with the veteran community to assess their needs.
“The support here in Bandera is really good for the veterans. I mean, I have no trouble. If I ask for help, I get it. Never no backlash on anything. I’m very proud to be here in this community with the veterans that we got. They help each other out.” Evans acknowledged Lauricella’s dedication, noting, “You’re doing an excellent job, and we appreciate it.”
Commissioner Troy Konvicka also praised Lauricella for going above and beyond, including working late hours and checking in on veterans personally.
He recounted a case where a veteran suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalized, saying, “During that time, Lauricella was following up with the patient’s required paperwork and had his claim ready to go before he was released. He’s been doing a lot of good stuff.”
Lauricella closed his report with the bad news: “Since I’ve started, we’ve had 94 veteran deaths.”
Junker added that some of Lauricella’s impact goes unmeasured, stating, “Cost avoidance, they’re very difficult numbers to identify.
So when you talk about helping homeless when it comes to indigent care, a lot of times we’re carting veterans over to the Salvation Army in Kerr County for an overnight stay.
When you take a look at all the services that the VA and other associated organizations provide, those are the numbers that are missing, and they’re huge.”
“WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE SERVICES THAT THE VA & OTHER ASSOCI ATED ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDE, THOSE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT ARE MISSING...”
- Susan Junker
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